HARTFORD -- Connecticut's services for mentally-ill children and young adults are a maze of sometimes effective, often troubled programs that can become a nightmare for parents who try to navigate them.

Help for autistic children phases out when they turn 18. Pediatricians are under-informed about the availability of psychiatric help. Abuse of prescription drugs is rampant among Connecticut minors. Many programs are so crowded that new patients have to be put on waiting lists.

Those are among the findings of a draft report submitted Thursday to a joint meeting of the General Assembly's Appropriations and Children's committees by a 36 member mental whealth task force a year after the legislative reaction to the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.

Michael A. Hoge, professor of psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine and director of the Yale Behavioral Health program, said during an afternoon hearing that while there are some highly effective state programs, there is an apparent "disconnect" overall.

Parents who have the toughest experiences are those with private insurance coverage, according to researchers following up on a 2013 law which requires a statewide assessment and suggestions for improving services.

"Many towns or regions lack services and don't have an organized continuum," Hoge told lawmakers. "That's particularly within the northeast, northwest and the southwest corners of the state. Treatment services are particularly limited for young children. Older adolescents returning from long-term care in juvenile justice settings need better transition services and employment opportunities."

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Coming up shortConnecticut lacks universal screening for mental health problems among children.Only 38 percent of all children are screened for autism spectrum disorders.The general public is unaware of the size of the state's substance abuse problem among children and adolescents.Children receive very little education about mental health.Source: report to the General Assembly by the Department of Children and Families, the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut and the Children's Mental Health Task Force

He said some parents are so desperate that they let the condition of their children deteriorate to a level where they are admitted to in-patient programs.

"It is difficult to imagine similar approaches to be used in other forms of health care," Hoge said. "These are a particular concern to our Connecticut families."

He said that while there are good services for children with autism, various agencies share duties in ways that can become complicated and confusing.

"There is a dire need for individuals with autism who turn 18 to have better access to services," Hoge said. "Parents often describe this as `graduating into nothing,' as many of the services that children are eligible for before they turn 18, they are no longer eligible for after they make that transition."

Last year, as lawmakers grappled with the ramifications of the December 2012 Newtown shootings -- in which Adam Lanza, 20, killed his mother in their home, then six adults and 20 first graders at Sandy Hook Elementary School -- a law was passed that required the state Department of Children and Families and the Office of Early Childhood to coordinate with other agencies to address children's behavioral and mental-health needs.

The state's gun-control laws were also strengthened, with a ban on large capacity ammunition magazines and military-style rifles.

"We all know that this legislation was crafted against the backdrop of the tragedy of Newtown," said DCF Commissioner Joette Katz. "And as deeply saddened as I am that that tragedy formed the impetus for this legislation, I am grateful that it has allowed us to identify gaps in the system. Parents and families' voices have been a critical component in gathering information and formulating recommendations. This plan, as is true with any plan, will only be as good as its implementation."

State Rep. Diana Urban, D-Stonington, co-chairman of the Children's Committee, said that a year after the law took effect, a rare opportunity has arisen.

"This is unusual, for us to continue to follow through," she said.

"This is a very complicated issue where people's lives are literally at stake," said state Sen. Beth Bye, D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

A final plan and recommendations are expected to be presented to lawmakers in October.